Skip to main content

Where Have All the Republicans Gone?


For a few decades, I have assisted tens of thousands of patients in making medical decisions.  While the stakes may be higher in making a medical decision, the process is the same as would be used in making any decision.   Gather the facts.  Weigh the options.  Consider the respective risks and benefits.  If applicable, consider additional issues that may tilt the decision, such as cost, family or professional impact, personal priorities or cultural norms. 

Obviously, two individuals may share identical medical facts but decide differently – and both decisions may be sound and correct.

Our politicians and government officials should use the same process when faced with a political decision or a vote.  But, they don’t.   Sure, they engage in a risk-benefit analysis, but in a rather twisted manner.

Politician contemplating a vote:  “What is the risk to me if I vote for or against?”
Same politician contemplating a vote:  “What is the benefit to me if I vote for or against?”

In other words, our politicians focus much more on their interest than on ours.  Perhaps, that’s why their approval ratings are underwater.

Consider how the establishment GOP have been responding to the president’s steady stream of rhetorical and behavioral malfeasance.  In general, the responses have included silence, acquiescence, tolerance, deflection and even outright defense.  Yes, there are occasional murmurs of discontent, but these seem more aberrational than a coherent broadside.


'Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.'


Interestingly, the GOP individuals who have been consistent critics of the president are from those who are not running for reelection.  Thus, it may be that these folks discovered their principles only when they became unshackled from a future campaign and election - not exactly a profile in courage.

Even some senate Democrats who are up for reelection in 2018 have been very reluctant to criticize the president as they are from red states who support Trump.  

Here’s a different way to approach the risk-benefit equation for politicians who won’t express their outrage.   What do they risk by speaking their mind?   They would not be risking their health or their freedom.  They would not be risking a financial catastrophe.   They would not be risking the respect of their colleagues or their own self-respect.   Yes, they might be risking their job.  The worst outcome of calling out a demagogue is that the voters would toss them out.  Is that such a cataclysmic event that is worth one's personal integrity?   And all of them are so readily employable, although the prospect of leaving the public trough seems downright unbearable to them.

Consider the benefits of speaking true.   I won’t insult my readers my listing them, as they are self-evident.

If you suspect that I didn’t vote for Trump, then you are correct.  And, if you suspect that I voted for Clinton, then you are wrong.

There are circumstances when it is sensible to keep one’s thoughts to himself.   Maybe the issue is not that important or the stakes of speaking out are disproportionately high.   This is not the case for current legislators who look away.  The stakes to the nation and to themselves do not justify their silence.







Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Why Most Doctors Choose Employment

Increasingly, physicians today are employed and most of them willingly so.  The advantages of this employment model, which I will highlight below, appeal to the current and emerging generations of physicians and medical professionals.  In addition, the alternatives to direct employment are scarce, although they do exist.  Private practice gastroenterology practices in Cleveland, for example, are increasingly rare sightings.  Another practice model is gaining ground rapidly on the medical landscape.   Private equity (PE) firms have   been purchasing medical practices who are in need of capital and management oversight.   PE can provide services efficiently as they may be serving multiple practices and have economies of scale.   While these physicians technically have authority over all medical decisions, the PE partners can exert behavioral influences on physicians which can be ethically problematic. For example, if the PE folks reduce non-medical overhead, this may very directly affe

Should Doctors Wear White Coats?

Many professions can be easily identified by their uniforms or state of dress. Consider how easy it is for us to identify a policeman, a judge, a baseball player, a housekeeper, a chef, or a soldier.  There must be a reason why so many professions require a uniform.  Presumably, it is to create team spirit among colleagues and to communicate a message to the clientele.  It certainly doesn’t enhance professional performance.  For instance, do we think if a judge ditches the robe and is wearing jeans and a T-shirt, that he or she cannot issue sage rulings?  If members of a baseball team showed up dressed in comfortable street clothes, would they commit more errors or achieve fewer hits?  The medical profession for most of its existence has had its own uniform.   Male doctors donned a shirt and tie and all doctors wore the iconic white coat.   The stated reason was that this created an aura of professionalism that inspired confidence in patients and their families.   Indeed, even today

Electronic Medical Records vs Physicians: Not a Fair Fight!

Each work day, I enter the chamber of horrors also known as the electronic medical record (EMR).  I’ve endured several versions of this torture over the years, monstrosities that were designed more to appeal to the needs of billers and coders than physicians. Make sense? I will admit that my current EMR, called Epic, is more physician-friendly than prior competitors, but it remains a formidable adversary.  And it’s not a fair fight.  You might be a great chess player, but odds are that you will not vanquish a computer adversary armed with artificial intelligence. I have a competitive advantage over many other physician contestants in the battle of Man vs Machine.   I can type well and can do so while maintaining eye contact with the patient.   You must think I am a magician or a savant.   While this may be true, the birth of my advanced digital skills started decades ago.   (As an aside, digital competence is essential for gastroenterologists.) During college, I worked as a secretary